3 Month Abroad, 2 Months in China, 1 Week in South Korea

I love when things just happen to work out. Two weeks before the Mid-Autumn Festival, my classmates and I booked tickets to South Korea. I didn't realize it at the time but our tickets were for the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival is traditionally spent celebrating with family. I am grateful I got to eat dinner with my host family (and extended host family) before heading to South Korea with three of my classmates for the week-long national holiday.

An estimated 340 million Chinese people traveled during the holiday. Many Chinese people take this time to hit up tourist attractions. We decided to skip the crowds and take advantage of the opportunity to go to another country.

The night before we left, we didn't know whether our tickets were for a train or airplane and then when we figured that out, the company told us our train tickets had already been used. What? How is that possible if the ticket was for the next day? I still don't quite understand. The next morning, we ended up leaving for the train station at 5am in case we ran into problems to with our tickets. We got our train tickets without a problem. Whew. Things happened to work out.

After taking a train to Shanghai, we flew into Busan, South Korea. The cheapest tickets we found had us flying into Busan and out of Seoul. We did not do much planning before we left but somehow managed to pack our days with interesting and activities.

I have gotten accustomed to traveling alone and had to adjust to going along with the things other people wanted to do. My group's version of Busan and Seoul was much different than how I would have experienced South Korea if I was alone.

I insisted on going to the Jagalchi Fish Market because I heard you could eat octopus that was so fresh it was still moving. Success. A fishmonger pulled an octopus from a tank, chopped it up, and threw it on sesame seeds, soy sauce, and green onions. The tentacles were still moving the entire time it took us to finish it. The suction things on the legs made the tentacles stick to the plate and then the inside of our mouths. It is quite an interesting experience. I recommend it if you get the chance. The fishmonger asked where I was from and after I said Texas he told us how he is a Texas Rangers fan. Small world, eh?

We also went to The Busan Aquarium but my favorite attraction was The Beomeosa Temple located on the edge of Mt. Geumjeongsan. Do yourself a favor and look up photos of the temple. I am having technical difficulties and cannot create a hyperlink. This temple has the most gorgeous view. Chinese people love the juxtaposition of mountains and water and this was just perfect.

After a quick day and a half in Busan, we took at 5am train to Seoul. We happened to buy the last four tickets on the train right before it sold out. See? Things just work out sometimes. It was nice to get into the Seoul so early that we had that entire day to spend there. One of my classmates is on the skiing team at his school. He saw that Seoul had indoor skiing so the first day in Seoul, we went skiing. In September. Indoors. Crazy.

The next day we signed up for a half-day tour of the DMZ. I was particularly excited about this and it was my main motivation for going to South Korea. I am interested to go to North Korea, but every time people tell me that they say "Sure, you can go. You just can't come back." We did walk a section of the third tunnel that connects South and North Korea. North Korea claims they dug 20 tunnels but South Korea has only found four. Creepy.

We also happened to be in Seoul for Psy's free Seoul Style concert. We partied with 80,000 Koreans. I had no idea what he was singing about or saying, but the energy was electric. He was so humble and appreciative of his fans. He was in awe of the crowd that showed up to watch him perform. Man, I wish I could have understood what he said.

Originally, we were going to go to South Korea with our Korean-American classmate. Because he changed his plans, we ended up traveling around without a translator. It was my first time going to a country where I do not speak the language at all. I only knew three phrases. I learned how to say "Do you want to die?!" and "Do you want me to hit you?" from My Sassy Girl and in college my friend taught me how to say "Come here, pretty boy." I was told these three phrases would not be very useful. I just about died laughing when I heard someone yell "Do you want to die?" in Korean at the Psy concert. 

Not many people spoke English and I felt like such an asshole for not speaking their language. However, I did have some fun playing charades. I attempted to act out anti-inflammatory. Yeah, that one didn't quite work. Although, I was able to use charades to bargain. Mom, you should be proud of me. I am learning to bargain and you are right, you can bargain anywhere and everywhere.

Being in South Korea for a week was a nice change of pace. It was quieter -- I appreciated that people rarely used their car horns. We didn't get run over and squished to death on subways. The passengers getting on the subway let the other passengers exit first. There was no pushing and shoving (besides at the Psy concert.) I would love to go back to visit. I have also been researching how to visit North Korea. Whenever I say I want to go, people tell me "Sure, you can go. You just can't come back." As an American citizen, it is possible! Just tricky...and expensive.

I am still unable to post pictures to my blog, but I will put them up on Facebook.

Three things I am grateful for:
1. My teacher told me about a program in Guangzhou that has everything I have been looking for. I was about to apply for a well-respected and well-known program and I went to talk to my teacher to ask for a recommendation letter. I happened to ask him about other programs and the one he recommended is not only less than 9,000 yuan (1440 USD) opposed to 13,000 USD (81300 yuan), but I can simultaneously take Cantonese and Mandarin classes. The class is tailored for people of Chinese descent that grew up in other countries.
2. I am constantly learning about Chinese customs. This is one of the main reasons I am in China. Growing up in the U.S., I missed out on being surrounded by Chinese culture. I was in the program director's office and I noticed there was a shrink wrapped egg. I just learned that when Chinese people are expecting, they give out eggs to their friends as a way of spreading the good news. Also, my friend passed a graduate school entrance exam and she was giving out lollipops. She told me it is custom for people to give out candy when they get good news or something good happens to them. I love this idea of spreading the love.
3. Chinese friends have been helping me purchase things online. Online shopping is cheap and convenient but you usually need a Chinese bank card. Also, the amount of Chinese and the amount of stuff you can buy on TaoBao intimidates me.

You know the feeling where you are in a stupid happy mood for no particular reason at all? You know how sometimes out of nowhere a smile seems to just creep onto your face?

There is nothing like having a goofy grin on your face--feeling happy not because something good just happened but smiling just because you feel happiness bubbling out of you.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

What is this? What happened? Oh, that's China for you.

I have been in China for 5 weeks now (not counting being in Hong Kong for two weeks prior to Nanjing). Whenever we cannot figure out the logic behind something or find something particularly unusual and ask "WHAT?!" The answer is usually "Oh, it is China." This is a short list of things I still find strange.

1. Public urination

Sure, when you gotta go, you gotta go. I can understand that. But when babies wear crotchless pants so they can pee whenever they like and when mothers tell their young kids to pop a squat in the middle of the subway station, I do not understand. I have been to China before and seen kids peeing on trees outside...but in a subway station?! Before you ask, for obvious reasons I cannot post pictures of kids peeing in inappropriate places. Lo siento.

When I was in Hong Kong, a friend was talking to me about public urination and defecation in China. In broad daylight, her friend saw a grown man pull down his pants and squat to take a poop. She said, "You could see everything. 前邊有一條, 后邊有一條。" So gross. 

 2. Crazy flavors

When I was at the grocery store, I saw a container of gum that had three different flavors. Cool! You get variety. I should be more careful when grocery shopping.  When I tried the first piece of gum I felt like Veruca Salt eating Willy Wonka's gum. I didn't realize it at the time but the three flavors were: 1. lemongrass peppermint 2. lavender peppermint 3. cucumber peppermint. 

I wouldn't have been able to read the entire label but I do know the word 草 means grass. I probably should have avoided a container of gum that had the character 草 on it three times. I also didn't really look at the pictures. Oops.

There are lots of interesting flavored chips. I do not eat chips but may have to try some out. 

3. Fruit platters in nightclubs

Many nightclubs here only have bottle service. When you buy a bottle of liquor, it comes with a beautiful plate of fruit. My friend said the only time he eats fruit is when he is out clubbing. I'm not hating on the fruit plates because I love me some fruit. I just think it's strange and funny. Most of the people at the club are smoking, getting drunk, and eating fruit. Does anyone else think that's weird? 

4. Whitening creams

I understand why they have this in stores. I guess the American in me thinks it is strange. Also, using chemicals to make your face whiter can't be good for you. The other day I was at the store buying body wash and didn't want to spend time reading labels. Body wash is body wash, right? No. I'm glad I glanced at the description because it was a body wash meant to whiten your skin. Pass. 

5. School on Saturday

We do not have school next week because of the national holiday. (People don't have to work either.)  Because we will be missing a whole week of school, we had to make up that class today. In the states, if we miss school because of a holiday, we don't have to make it up. In China, we have a week off of school... but you still have the same number of classes. Oh well, I can't complain. We have a week vacation and it is only once. My poor little sister has school every Saturday. 

6. Traffic patterns

 I highly doubt I will ever have enough cojones to drive a car here. Pedestrian zebra lines are painted on the ground as more of a formality than an actual demand for drivers to stop. I can understand because if they stopped for every pedestrian, they would never be able to get anywhere. 

It is common for cars to avoid hitting pedestrians by swerving and driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic. Oh, hell no. I get scared when I am in the cab and the driver does this. 

Practically none of the people on bikes, mopeds, or scooters wear helmets. I never wear a helmet in the states but sometimes I feel like I should here. I have gotten hit thrice in the past week-twice by people on bikes and once by someone on a scooter. I hope I do not break that record. Every time it is because they turned without looking or just didn't see me. I have been trying to keep more distance but it is hard when there are so many people on the road. I am convinced the metal basket on the front of my bike is not meant to hold things but instead meant to serve as a protective shield.

I figured after getting hit three times, it was finally time for my bike tune-up. Mom and Dad, my brakes finally work! It feels like I'm riding a different bike. I don't have to death grip my brakes, they are much more responsive now. He also changed some old rusty parts all for 28 yuan (4.46 USD). I definitely should have done this a month ago. 

7. Firecrackers

Chinese people love firecrackers. During class we hear them go off all the time. At the beginning of the semester our teacher explained it to us. He noticed that we were distracted by the noise but he had toned it out. He said that Chinese people set off firecrackers for happy occasions-someone just got married, someone had a baby, store's grand opening, store's grand re-opening, etc. It used to be ultra distracting but now I just smile when I hear them. Somebody nearby had something happy happen to them. Mazel tov!

Three things I am grateful for:
1. National Holiday!
I am going to South Korea with three of my classmates. I wanted to make it to North Korea but I don't think that is going to happen this time around. None of us know any Korean, and we haven't started planning. We are going to have a planning session tomorrow and then we leave the day after. Whee being young and spontaneous. 
2. Yesterday, I went to teach English at a migrant school. It was my second week teaching and this time I was on my own. Class went better than I could have hoped for and it was so fun. I was a bit tired after a long week but knew I could feed of their energy. I taught them body parts by singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." We also learned prepositions to incorporate this week's lesson with last week's lesson. Each time we teach at the school, swarms of kids ask for our autographs afterwards. It is still strange to me. I'm thinking our foreigner novelty charm will wear off after a few weeks. 
3. Skype
I meant to spend the morning working hard to get all my homework done before we leave for Korea. Instead I Skyped several friends and family members. Worth it. I always love Skyping with people from home.

Random: I think it is funny that I couldn't find a Chinese translation for "YouTube" or "Facebook." That would make sense seeing as how they are banned. 

Peanut Men, Hot Chicks, and Bike Accidents

I have been in China for a month now. I hope my Chinese has improved drastically but who knows. I still make silly mistakes everyday. Today, I accidentally said, "He may be a peanut (花生 huā shēng)" instead of saying "He may be unfaithful (花心 huā xīn)."  Oops.

Many terms in Chinese are composed of two characters (1 English word = 2 Chinese characters) and I find it interesting to see how different combinations of characters lead to different meanings. I mentioned this in a previous post but I have to share a phrase I recently learned. 辣 (là) means spicy, 妹 (mèi) means younger sister, and together 辣妹 means hot chick, sexy girl, or The Spice Girls. 

One more quick Chinese lesson before I move on. 爱上 (ài shàng) means to fall in love with or to be in love with but 哀伤 (āi shāng) means to be heart-broken, dejected, or in distress. They are practically pronounced the same but have different tones. 

I wasn't going to post this online in fear of my parents freaking out, but this past week I was hit twice while biking. Thankfully, I was just hit by idiot bikers and not cars or buses (谢天谢地). Both times they weren't paying attention and took a turn... right into me. Oh well. I'm just glad nobody got hurt.

I have a crazy picture of a bike accident (not mine) but I still cannot upload photos. Argh. I will have to bring my computer to campus and try it there. Sorry! I'll keep trying.

Three things I am grateful for:
1. I love when someone I'm talking to uses a vocabulary term that I just learned. 
2. We live right next to tons of shopping centers. It is convenient and fun to 逛街 (guàng jiē translation: [window] shop) after dinner or during a study break.
My teacher mentioned this saying: 饭后走一走，  活到九十九。If you take a walk after eating, you will live to be 99 years old. It rhymes when you say it in Chinese. It's a shame when things like that don't translate. I have been talking walks after dinner to explore our neighborhood (and so I can live until I'm 99). 
3. Fresh fruit stores by our school

Are you going to ride the fried dumpling?

"Are you going to take the 锅贴 (guōtiē) to Beijing?"








Because I accidentally said 锅贴 (guōtiē) instead of 高铁 gāotiě, I accidentally asked my friend if she was going to ride a fried dumpling instead of the high-speed train.

Many of the people in our program went to Beijing for the weekend. It is a quick four hour trip on the high speed train. Because I am volunteer teaching at a migrant school on Friday afternoons and tutor on Sundays, I decided not to go to Beijing. Also, my friend is in town for the weekend.

Today I attended an Education Psychology class conducted in Chinese. Two of the students in the class happened to be the roommates of people in my program. My psychology background definitely helped but I still needed to use my translation app. I could understand most of what the teacher said but when the students answered her questions, I was so lost. I felt like a freshman and crossed my fingers that the teacher wouldn't call me. It was a small class of about 10 girls. Where are all the guys? I am not taking the class with the sole purpose of learning psychology but using it mainly as a method to improve my Chinese. Hopefully by the end of the semester I will understand what is going on.

Earlier this week, I also went to a Positive Psychology class. It was conducted in English and meant for Nanjing University students. Part of me wants to take the class just to interact with locals. It is also fun to people creep and see what a real class in China is like (unlike the Chinese classes I'm taking that is meant for foreigners). Many Chinese kids select their own English names. I met someone named Lilac.

I wish there were more psychology classes on the Gulou campus but most of them are on a campus further away. I think I already have enough on my plate.

Three things I am grateful for:
1. 1.5 Liter bottles of water that cost 2 元 ($0.32 USD) at the convenience store next to our school
We used to joke that if anyone spoke in English and broke the language pledge, we would force them to do shots of China tap water.
2. This was the first week I went to teach an English class at a migrant school (school with 50% migrant workers' children). The kids were so excited and enthusiastic about learning. When we were leaving the school, mobs of kids asked us for our autographs. So strange but cute.
3. I didn't realize this was the weekend by friend was coming in town. Luckily, I am here! It is always nice to see old friends.

Two Months Down

I have been traveling for two months now! On the 24th, I will have been in China for a month.

I am enjoying my Chinese classes. In our program, everyone is required to take Readings in Chinese, Spoken Chinese, and Contemporary Chinese Studies (which is taught in English). I pulled the "hey, I've already graduated card" to opt out of the Contemporary Chinese Studies class. Instead, I have been shopping for alternative classes.

Yesterday I tried to attend an Industrial Psychology class. To my surprise, there was only one student in the classroom. The teacher said not enough students were present so class was canceled for the day. He told me to just come back next week. I talked to my program director about what happened and she said she is not surprised. Her explanation was "This is how China's education system is. It has many issues." Apparently, you cannot register for classes online. They don't have class schedules online either. What?!

Today I somehow found myself in an advanced newspaper reading class. I would have never imagined that I can read a newspaper. I was right. It is pretty hard. However, it doesn't matter if I fail because I've graduated. This is what I've always wanted--to take classes and learn without my grades counting for anything. The article we read talked about the education of poor children in the countryside. (I really think I am unlearning English. Most of the time, Chinese word order is "backwards" or the opposite of English word order. I am having a hard time forming sentences for this post.) Anyway, the professor was telling us how the children's parents go to the cities to earn money to send home and leave the kids with their grandparents. The kids have to hike, sometimes for hours, to the nearest school carrying their own chairs because the school doesn't have any. I know it is real but part of me doesn't want to believe it.

Brief Chinese lesson of the day:

Some things translate easily.

男人不坏， 女人不爱 nán rén bù huài, nǚ rén bù ài
Girls love bad boys.

芝麻开门 zhī ma kāi mén
Sesame open! (Open sesame)

Some things just don't translate.
The other day my classmate told his Chinese roommate he was going to 做咖啡 instead of 冲咖啡. Essentially he said he was going to grow coffee instead of pour it. 做 can mean do, make, or prepare so yes, Chinese can be rather tricky. So many words have the same English meaning but in Chinese they are used for different situations.

One of the first days in class, one of our classmates pointed at his wrist and said he needed to buy a 婊子 (biǎo zi) instead of a 表(biǎo). They are pronounced the same and even look really similar. However, he accidentally told his teacher he needed to buy a prostitute when he meant to say wristwatch. Oops.

Three things I am grateful for:
1. Mandatory 报告 in my Spoken Chinese class each week
I struggle giving speeches in Chinese but I know the practice will help and get easier. Our teacher gives us a vague topic and we can make a presentation on anything regarding said topic. Por ejemplo, this week's topic was 恋爱观 (viewpoint on love). Because I didn't want to talk about my own, I talked about Barbie's 恋爱观. Did you know that Ken has four Olympic gold medals?
2. We had a free kung fu lesson.
A group of four of us went to watch a 4pm class at a martial arts center but arrived at 4:25. Maybe because we are foreigners or maybe they are just nice but they gave us our own private teacher and class. I haven't taken kung fu in probably over 14 years but it was ridiculously fun. I am going to try to find classes closer to where we live.
3. Yesterday I was watching cartoons with my little sister. When I first got here, I tried to read along with the captions at the bottom of the screen but it was too fast. I think the cartoon characters were speaking rather slowly because I could actually follow along. I felt like I had an aha! breakthrough moment.

So, what are you?

What does it mean to be a foreigner in China?

In our Seminar on Living and Learning in China, we discussed our experiences as 外国人 (foreigners).

In our program, a couple of us are of Asian descent. One of my classmates, Lanier, mentioned that she was jealous of the way locals treat us. When I go somewhere, most people speak to me under the assumption that I am fluent in Chinese. Sometimes have to ask them to slow down or repeat sentences.

Since Lanier is white, shopkeepers and 服务员 (service personnel) assume that she speaks little to no Chinese (although her Chinese is better than mine). They look at her differently and speak to her slowly using simple words. She stated that she longed for people to speak to her with the same speed and vocabulary as they use with me. She will never be able to experience China the way I do.

"So, what are you exactly?"

When someone in the states asked me this question, I replied with a snappy, "I am an American woman." But seriously, in the U.S. I get this question quite often. However, in China I've been getting this question 差不多 (more or less) everyday. Although they first assume I'm Chinese, the gig is up as soon as I open my mouth. They are confused as why a Chinese looking person is not fluent in Chinese.

Sometimes I wish I could switch places with Lanier. Sometimes I wish I looked more the part of a foreigner. I wish I had a better reason for not sounding like a native. Maybe then people would understand that yes, I'm Chinese but I grew up in the states.

When people here ask me what I am, I used to answer, "I am an American." This was easier than saying, "My parents grew up in Hong Kong and moved to the states to go to school. I was born in the U.S. and have been there my whole life. My grandaunt, who is from Guangzhou, lived with us and she doesn't speak any English so I grew up hearing Cantonese. I can speak Cantonese but my Mandarin isn't very good. 会听不会说 (I can understand but not speak)."

Perhaps I was adamant about stating my American nationality as a excuse for my poor Chinese. However, thankfully one of the locals taught me a useful phrase. I am a 美籍华人 (Chinese-American).

I am grateful they assume I am fluent. I enjoy conversing with the shopkeepers and random locals. Each conversation is an opportunity to practice my Chinese. I know I will never sound like a native but to improve you have to practice, right?

Also, when shopping it is beneficial to look/seem like you are a local. As soon as they see a foreigner, they jack up the prices and try to rip you off. They assume Americans have money and they try to get as much of it as possible. Because I know they can tell I am a local, I used to avoid shopping at places where you have to haggle. When I am with a local, I have them haggle for me. Because this is not always possible, I am experimenting with haggling tactics. I'm pretty bad at it right now because I feel bad that I don't give them what they ask for. It's not much money. I am aware this sounds stupid.

Now when I go shopping, I use Cantonese to ask them the price of the product and then I "correct" myself and ask again in Mandarin. This way they may assume that I am from Hong Kong or Guangzhou. At least they are aware that I know two dialects of Chinese and are less likely to think I am an American. I believe this has helped so far. I figure it is better than me using Mandarin right off the bat and having them realize I'm obviously a foreigner.

I feel like my writing is getting worse and worse the longer I've been in China. The entire time I have been writing this, I have been thinking in Chinese and then have to translate it to English (hence the random Chinese characters spread throughout.) One of the teachers said, "To learn Chinese, you need to first unlearn English." Mission accomplished. I feel like my English makes less sense than it used to. My apologizes. Maybe a couple posts from now, I'll write it all in Chinese first and then Google translate it. I feel like that is how they come up with the English translations for the signs around China. I will have to make an Engrish signs album.

Three things I am grateful for:
1. We went to eat delicious 包子 (steamed stuffed bun) for lunch. My favorite noodle type had 粉丝(vermicelli noodles) stuffing. They were hot, fresh, and cost 1 元 which is less than $0.16 USD.
2. I got a temporary residence permit to stay here until February 28, 2013.
3. I went to a kungfu class yesterday with some of my classmates. Although we are all ridiculously sore today, it was wicked fun. 

Chinese is easy to learn, right?

I have been terrible about blogging but starting now I will try to post thrice a week. I am learning so many cool things about Chinese history, culture, and language and I feel guilty for keeping it all to myself. I am a big nerd and want to spread knowledge.

比方说 (For example), we just ate homemade dumplings for dinner. There were a couple left and my host mom told my host dad to finish them off. He said 小菜一碟. The literal translation means a small plate of food. The phrase means whatever you are referring to is easy. The English equivalent is "it's a piece of cake."

I love learning slang and new vocabulary. On the first day of  class, one of my Chinese teachers said that Chinese is easy to learn. At first, I didn't believe her. If it is so easy to learn, why do I suck at it? Why is this so hard? I used to think Chinese was ridiculously 复杂 (complicated) but now I think it is quite fun. My teacher explained that many terms are logical. I like the characters for cashew which are 腰果.The first character can refer to a person's waist or small of the back. The second character means fruit. A cashew looks like the small of a person's back.

Her example was better but it isn't as interesting. Chalk in Chinese is 粉笔.The first character means powder or dust and the second character means pen. The two characters together refer to a pen that is powdery. Genius. People in my program like the phrase 熬夜 (pronounced áo yè and it sounds like oh yeah) which means stay up all night. I like 迷你裙 (mínǐ qún) which means mini skirt. The last character, 裙,means dress. Also, T恤 (T xù) is t-shirt. There are many phrases like this that were adapted from English words. 

Three things I am grateful for:
1. The opportunity to learn Chinese from everyone around me
2. Homemade dumplings-My host mom told me that the auntie is good at making them. Hopefully I will get to make some soon.
3. My Chachos tan line-I know this sounds weird but I love the crazy zigzag lines on my feet. It reminds me that I have been on many adventures. I will blog tomorrow about my recent adventures around Nanjing and our trip last weekend to Shanghai.

If you can dodge a wrench...

I am done with my first week of my intensive Chinese language and culture program! 15 weeks to go. 

I have never spoken so much Mandarin in my life. Yesterday I was excited to meet a student from Hong Kong. I have been trying to find more people that speak Cantonese and Mandarin. Since Cantonese is my second “language” and Mandarin is my third, I feel much more comfortable speaking Cantonese. (I put language in quotes because technically they are two dialects of Chinese but many say they are not mutually intelligible.) I tried to talk to him in Cantonese but Mandarin kept slipping out. Since I have been speaking Mandarin 23 hours a day, I have already gotten accustomed to it. It’s amazing how fast people can adapt.

Speaking of adapting, I love riding my bike to school. A few years ago, I said I would never bike in China. Never say never, Justin Biebs. My host family has lent me a bike for me to commute to school. It is a 30 minute walk or a 6 minute bike ride. I am impatient and love biking so that has been my main mode of transportation. The first ride was definitely the scariest. People here love honking their car horn and ringing their bike bell. These people don’t just honk their horn, they press and hold it. The program coordinator said people frequently have to get their horns replaced because they use them so often.

When I rode the bike for the first time, I wasn’t sure where I was going, I was getting used to the bike, and getting used to biking in China. It was the most stressful bike ride I have ever experienced. I thought I was going to get hit by multiple mopeds, bikers, and cars. They come so close to you! 

I couldn’t raise the seat so I was biking with my knees practically at 90 degrees, the bell is broken, and the brakes are sketchy. I was wondering why the seat was so low but then after I realized the brakes don’t really work, I realized it was so I can use my feet as brakes. When I need to stop, I clench down on the brakes all the way and that slows it down enough so I can plant my feet on the ground to come to a stop. I should probably go get the brakes fixed. 

Also, when I asked my auntie about whether I get a new bell, she said “of course not! If you need to pass someone, just yell!” 

The program coordinator told me not to ride a bike to school because it is too dangerous. I figure “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Also, the other day I rode on my bike to school in the rain during rush hour. I figure “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.” After biking in China, I feel I can handle biking anywhere. China is real life Frogger.

Also, on the back of the bike there is a seat pad and foot rests for a small child to ride as a passenger. I am going to have to try throwing one of my classmates back there and see how it goes. I’ll let you know. 

Enough about biking. I have been having a blast with my host family and I want to tell you a little about them. The Ah Ye (auntie) has been cooking and cleaning for the family for ten years. She was the one that picked me up from school the day I moved into their condominium. The first day I met her before I even had a chance to set down my luggage, she took off her pants in the middle of the living room because it was too hot. I felt so at home. I hate pants. The Ah Ye is hilarious even though I can’t understand her at times. She speaks 南京话 (the Nanjing dialect). She cooks delicious meals and I should keep a tally of the number of times she tells me to吃, 吃, 吃 (eat, eat, eat) during dinner because I bet it is upwards of thirty. 

I’ll have to talk about my host dad another time because since he works in another city, he is only around every other weekend because he works in another city. I haven’t spent much time with him yet.

The other auntie, my host mom, is super sweet and we already have had some good chats. She speaks some English but wants to learn more. She bought Garfield for her daughter but her daughter doesn’t understand it. Today I was on the couch writing an essay while my host mom was trying to read Garfield. I had so much fun trying to translate the comics for her. I didn’t realize how hard it would be for a non-native speaker to understand. She had questions about some of the frames that had slang or phrases like “Be still my beating taste buds.”She had an online translator open to try to figure out some words. She looked up “herow widdle kitty” in the dictionary because she didn’t know the lady in the strip was talking baby talk to Garfield. 

My little sister likes Taylor Swift and playing Chinese chess. She taught me how to play the other day but I am pretty terrible. She is adorable and during dinner she feeds me (puts food on my plate and tells me to eat it after explaining what it is). She loves to play games and tonight we played Monopoly. I usually hate playing but it was actually really fun. It might have been because it was in a different language. It also could have been because I had all four railroads and they kept landing on them. Win. 

Tomorrow I am off to Xuan Wu Lake with the people in my program. I will do another photo dump soon.

Three things I am grateful for:

1.       Our program paid for a huge VIP karaoke room at KTV for us and the Chinese roommates. Twenty-five people in a room trying to “sing” at the same time is ridiculous.

2.       People that have the patience to try to understand my terrible Mandarin
I have been texting, writing emails, and Skype-ing in Chinese and the nerd in me thinks it’s fun.

3.       Chinese to English dictionaries and Chinese apps like Pleco
However, the dictionary apps (especially the free ones) are not always reliable. I tried to ask the program coordinator if she likes to eat pig blood but apparently I basically asked her if she was a vampire. Also, my dictionary doesn’t have a translation for “homeboy.” Try to explain “homeboy” in another language. I don’t even know how to do that in English.

My 19th First Day of School

Today was my 19^th first day of school. Since I just graduated in May I feel kind of weird going back to school. I thought I was done! Alas, I’m a glutton for punishment as well as a big nerd that loves learning.

We signed a “Language Commitment Pledge” today stating that Monday through Friday from 8am to 8pm we will only speak Chinese. I am going to try to use Chinese for 23 hours a day Sunday through Friday and have a cheat day on Saturdays. I will see how this goes. I have only used English (right now) and to send some emails. Today, I had to say "对不起, 我不知道怎么说．．．＂(Sorry, I don't know how to say...) many times. Bless whoever is trying to converse with me. I am trying my best.

There are thirteen people in my program of varying levels of proficiency. I thought we would all talk to each other less because we cannot speak in our native tongue. But I was pleasantly surprised that people were still chatting and telling jokes. Jokes in convoluted broken Chinese are hilarious. More on this next time.

My favorite vocabulary term we learned today is “快活.”  It means “happy.” However, there are many phrases you can mean that directly translate to “happy” that each are slightly different. This particular phrase means you are happy because of something really simple.  The example she used in class is: You are really dirty and then you take a shower. Afterwards you 觉得很快活 (feel happy). How cool is that? The second line in my textbook is “生命对于人只有一次.” Translation: #YOLO.  I giggled and 觉得很快活.

Three things I am grateful for:

1.       The first day of school is always exciting. I am full of enthusiasm and am not fatigued yet.

2.       I had a great first day of speaking only Chinese. It was hard at times but I know the practice will improve my speaking ability.

3.       I showed my host family some of my pictures and spent time with them. I wish I could spend more time with them but I need to study. We have 4 hours of classes everyday and they tell us we should be studying/doing homework for 8 hours. Um… what?

Orphan Annie

I got into Nanjing, China a few days ago and I am about to start an intensive Chinese language and culture program. During orientation I have been living in the Nanjing University International Students Dormitory but today I moved out.

I decided to live with a host family instead of in the dorms in hopes of gaining a more true perspective of life in Nanjing. The past couple of days we have been talking about what the families would be like. Where do they live? How many people are living there? Will they like me? Will they understand my broken Chinese?

I didn't know anything about the process of how they match host families with students. When I asked one of my classmates, they said they bring all the families in and one-by-one, they interview you. Then, a family will hopefully pick you. This sounded like trying to get adopted (or at least what they portray in movies). I didn't think (and hoped) this wasn't true. Why would a Chinese family want me when they could have a "real foreigner?" I know I don't quite look the part. Nobody likes being picked last at kickball.

Thankfully, the program matched up students with host families based on surveys we filled out. I didn't have to try to convince a family they should pick me. The family that got me is stuck with me, ha!

Today was the day I met my family. I think I have had a stupid grin on my face all day. (I am blogging now because I am too excited to sleep.) I was and am so excited to live in a house with a family. It was the greatest feeling to unpack my bags for the first time. I haven't stayed in any place longer than two weeks (Hong Kong) but I will be here for four months. That's a good chunk of time.

I have a home and a family! Sounds like a good day to me. What more could you ask for?

Three things I am grateful for:
1. Today we took a brutal Chinese proficiency test. I am glad I don't have to take another test like that until the end of the program.
2. I cannot tell you how great it feels to unpack all of my stuff. I have been shuffling stuff around in my backpack for over a month but now it is all placed nicely in the armoire. I got giddy hanging my clothes up.
3. I met my family! The parents are both engineers and their daughter is 11 years old. They told me to call her 妹妹 and she will call me 姐姐. Isn't that sweet? They also have an "auntie" that lives with them and helps around the house. I haven't spent much time with them yet but they seem like good people. I am the 11th foreign exchange student they have hosted. It is kind of funny that the auntie kept referring to me as 老外.

One Month Update

Before I left the states, I was excited but also scared. A month into my travels I am happy to say I have thoroughly enjoyed each moment. I feel silly that I was so nervous about leaving home. Friends, family, and strangers have been welcoming and kind (for the most part). I am so grateful for each couch I crash on and for every interaction I have with the people I encounter along my journey. 

I just wanted to share two things I have learned thus far.

1. Live simply.

 

As some of y’all know, I have been trying to figure out how to go live in an Amish community because I think it would be fascinating to live without extraneous junk. If anyone has a hookup to an Amish community, let me know. They won’t respond to my e-mails. Ha. I haven’t found an Amish family to take me in yet, but I have had to lead a simpler life to adapt to my surroundings.

When I was traveling with the rowing team this past year, I realized that I have a ridiculous  amount of toiletries. I have lotions and pastes and gels and creams. Holy crap. When did I become so high maintenance? How much stuff does one person need?

 

I have always been a “what if” packer. What if I need it and I don’t have it? I always pack too much and end up schlepping around stuff I don’t use. It happens every time. I am sure it will happen this time too. When I was packing, I asked friends for advice. Pat told me to “pack like a boy.” To me that meant pack less stuff-just take the bare necessities. 

Kevin told me that the best advice he was given is to gather up everything you want to bring and then get rid of half of it. Then, do it again. Sure, part of me wishes that I had two huge suitcases with me filled with everything I wanted to bring. But, it has been nice to only lug around one backpack. I don’t care what I wear and it doesn’t take me long to pick an outfit considered my limited options. I am now a firm believer of the Paradox of Choice and decision fatigue. I can talk about it to no end but I’ll spare you.

I have been finding great joy in the small things like a good crust on a 菠蘿包 and having clean clothes. I love hanging my laundry on a clothesline. The simplicity of clothes drying in the sun always brings me a sense of tranquility. Yeah, it’s not as convenient as having a dryer but what’s the big rush? Just be careful not to drop anything if you are several stories up.

I appreciate when my family takes me out to nice restaurants but I will (almost) always pick a good ol’ home cooked meal over a fancy restaurant. (Morimoto’s food was pretty good. Not going to lie I might pick his food over home cookin'.) 

Ramble ramble ramble. On to the next one!

2. Spend time with family.

My stay in Hong Kong has been much different than playing tourist in any of the other cities I’ve visited. Usually when I visit a city, my goal is to immerse myself in the city and try to live like a local. Of course, I also try to hit up some of the popular touristy sites.

However, I came to Hong Kong with the sole intention of spending time with my grandmas. Everything else is gravy.

I had fun at the beautiful Kau Sai Chau driving range and going on a 30 kilometer bike ride through Hong Kong, but those won’t be my favorite memories. Yesterday, my grandma cooked us lunch and then told me stories about her childhood. The previous day when I visited my other grandma, she tightly clenched my hand while I showed her pictures of my graduation. Those are the memories I will cherish. 

Family time isn’t always fun (I had many awkwardly silent family lunches in Hong Kong), but I figure since you are stuck with these people for life, make the best of it. I wish I got to know my grandmas earlier but I am so grateful for my two weeks in Hong Kong. I am going to listen to as many stories as I can.

First Month Travel by the Numbers

Flights: 8

Hours Spent in Airports: 17

Hours Spent Flying: 25

Familiar Faces Seen: 13 (I would love this number to go up.)

      Museums Visited: 20

Three things I am grateful for: 

1.    Showers after sweaty days
My grandma doesn’t use hot water and I didn’t want her to turn it on for me so I’ve been taking cold showers. I like that you don’t have to waste time or water waiting for the water to get warm. I used to care about my shower having adequate water pressure but now I’m just glad to get a shower. A simple life is a happy life.

2.       Time with my grandmas-I love that I could eat lunch in just my skivvies. It's pretty warm here.
Grandma: Your cousin is picking us up soon. We have to get dressed. What’s wrong?

Me: I don’t want to put on my pants.
Grandma: Me either.

3.       Internet access-It’s sad that you appreciate things more once they are hard to come by. I will have consistent internet access when I get to Nanjing and will upload photos then.

祝 順心,

Kat

Barcelona and Singapore

In my haste to get a post up about Spain, I realized that I left out about half of my Barcelona trip. I also accidentally left behind a memory card in Allison's computer so I don't have those pictures yet.

Anyway, for my last few days in Barcelona Allison suggested that get a bus pass for a open top double decker tourist bus which stops at landmarks and various points of interest. I prefer walking everywhere and try to avoid super touristy things but I'm glad I bought a ticket. There were three routes around the city and you get unlimited rides for the day. You can hop on any bus and hop off if something piques your interest. I was able to see a wide range of things that I wouldn't have otherwise visited (such as the site of the 1992 Olympics).

I passed by some of Gaudí's buildings but the line to get into Sagrada Familia was over two hours long. If you visit and want to go inside, do yourself a favor and buy your ticket online to avoid the queue. But, I heard the inside isn't as impressive as the outside. I'll go visit when it is finally done around 2028.

A local told me to go to book a ticket to experience La Pedrera (Casa Milà) at night. I was told you get a unique tour of the building and get a beautiful nighttime view of the city. I will definitely go on this tour when I visit Barcelona again when it is less hot and there are less tourists. 
 

 My favorite Gaudí masterpiece I saw was Park Güell. I would have spent the entire day there if the weather was cooler. I stumbled on the "runway" where CariDee English did her final strut to win America's Next Top Model Season 7.

Back to the topic from last post about having ample travel time, getting to the Barcelona airport two hours early proved to be well worth it. When I first booked my ticket from Barcelona to Hong Kong over a month ago, I saw that I had a short layover in Singapore. I have wanted to visit so my mom suggested that I try to extend my layover. Fast forward one month to me at the Barcelona airport. I asked if I could extend my layover from 40 minutes to 40 hours.

Did you know that as a U.S. citizen you can stay in Hong Kong for up to 3 months without a visa as long as you have an outbound ticket? Because I did not have an outbound ticket from Hong Kong, Singapore Airlines told me that I would have to sign a waiver saying I was flying at my own risk. They warned me that customs may deny my entry into Hong Kong and arrest me. Uh, what? After 1 hour 45 minutes at the check-in counter, they told me I could get a later flight for the Singapore to Hong Kong leg for 23 euros. Sold! I got a 32 hour layover in Singapore and avoided arrest. (FYI, when I finally got to Hong Kong customs, they didn't ask me about my outbound ticket at all. Oh well, better safe than sorry).

When I got to Singapore at 8 am, I had no housing, no plans, and no local currency. There was free internet at the arrivals terminal so I quickly booked one of the first hostels I found. Then I spent 30 minutes chatting with a helpful girl at the tourist information desk. I happened to pass through town in time for the National Day Parade celebrating Singapore's 47th birthday. I love how sometimes things like this just work out.

I checked in my clunky 60 litre backpack and just carried my passport and camera. I withdrew the lowest amount possible from the ATM, 50 Singapore dollars (about 40 USD) from the ATM. I figured that would be my budget for my short time in Singapore.

It was interesting to be in a place with four official languages-English, Malay, Tamil, and Chinese. The girl at the tourism desk told me that the multicultural city was made up of three main areas-Little India, Chinatown, and the Malay area. I spent the day wandering around the city trying to hit popular tourist spots like the Raffles Hotel where the drink Singapore Sling originated. More importantly I passed by many beautiful mosques, churches, and temples. I somehow found my way to the world's largest prayer wheel in the Buddha Tooth Relic and Museum. If you go to Singapore, I recommend visiting it. It is the most beautiful temple I have ever been in and the informative museum is filled with amazing relics.

To watch the fireworks at night, I went to the Gardens by the Bay which is next the famous hotel Marina Bay Sands. Click here if you want to see more pictures of the gardens. (I will upload the rest of my photos on my Facebook.) The gardens were recently completed and the park spans over 100 hectares. After the fireworks, I caught a bit of the National Day Parade and got to see the Singapore skyline on my walk home. 

Three things I am grateful for:
1. I was able to stay within my budget. I spent less than S$50 during my 32 hours in Singapore. I didn't realize it until I checked into the hostel at 11pm that I had to pay for the room with cash. I am glad I didn't stop by any museums which have ridiculously expensive entrance fees. When I got back to the airport for my flight the next day, I had 80 cents left. Whew.
2. I felt like a new person after taking a shower after a sweaty day wandering around Singapore. One of the guys in my hostel room was kind enough to let me use his shower shoes.
3. I was sneaky and got to stay in a 4 person co-ed dorm room for the price of an 8 person room. Also, I couldn't have asked for better dorm mates. They were so kind and great to talk to.